9TH GENERAL DESHAMANYA DENIS PERERA ORATION: ‘GREY ZONE MARITIME CONFLICT’

The General Deshamanya Dennis Perera Oration is an annual event conducted by the Association of Retired Flag Rank Officers (ARFRO). The association was formed by the late General Denis Perera. He was a person with such exceptional qualities of leadership, that even after retiring from the Sri Lanka Army, which he commanded with extreme foresight and aplomb,  he served as High Commissioner to the UK, and held prestigious appointments in the corporate world, never gave up on a thought that pricked his mind. ARFRO is also a member of the Organization of Professional Association (OPA).

With encouragement from those retired officers who were senior to him, and assistance from the three-armed forces commanders at the time, ARFRO was formed in 1996, to bring in fellowship and camaraderie among senior officers of all three forces who have retired. 

It is also a feather in the late General’s cap that the present General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University made its origins due to his consistent perseverance to establish a National Defence Academy in Sri Lanka. 
Among the objectives of both above organizations, sharing and imparting knowledge reigns supreme. Hence the installation of General Deshamanya Denis Perera Oration in 2013. Accordingly, this memorial oration has been made into an annual event in the calendar of ARFRO, which is generously supported by the General Sir John Kotelawala University, in its execution. 

September 15th saw the ninth edition of the oration at the Kotelawala Defence University auditorium. On this occasion, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, the 25th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, addressed the gathering with an extremely interesting speech. Significantly, he is the first KDU alumni who has been elevated to command any service in our country. The event was attended by Mrs. Ranjani Perera, wife of late General Deshamanya Denis Perera, Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, Vice Chancellor of KDU, past Commanders of the three services who have retired, past Presidents of ARFRO, family and friends of the late General, members of ARFRO, serving officers and the members of the diplomatic corps.

The August audience was reminded of the contribution of the late General in establishing KDU. He pioneered and triggered the conversion of the then ‘Kandawala Estate’ into the esteemed Military University it is today. This legendary General, army Chief, diplomat, and top corporate icon, had a profound impact on the lives of many in and out of the Armed Forces, directly or indirectly. It was an inspiring and truly enlightening event, to celebrate his life.

The topic of the oration was ‘Grey Zone Maritime Conflict’. In recent years, this topic has drawn increased debate and discussion. It is a state of being between war and peace, where an aggressor aims to reap either political or territorial gains associated with overt military aggression without crossing the threshold of open warfare with another powerful adversary. It is also known as hybrid warfare or ambiguous warfare, refers to a type of conflict that falls below the threshold of conventional warfare where state and non-state actors use a combination of instruments of power, military, economic, political, and informational means to achieve their objectives without engaging in open, large-scale combat. The orator was able to reflect deeply on the subject, leaving the audience in a state of wonderment. 

Past Presidents of ARFRO, General Srilal Weerasooriya, Major General Lohan Gunawardena, Rear Admiral Sarath Rathnakeerthi along with Present President Air Chief Marshal Gagan Bulathsinghala, and Chairman of the Organising Committee Air Vice Marshal Kishan Yahampath formed the procession to the stage. 

The event was graced by former Service Chiefs namely, General Jagath Jayasuriya, General Daya Ratnayake, Admiral Daya Sandagiri, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, and Admiral Ravindra Wijayagunaratne. In addition, ARFRO will continue on the late General Deshamanya Dennis Perera’s vision to support the planned programmes of its welfare arm - the Ranaviru Family Counselling & Support Services (RFCSS), to reach out to the families of those fallen heroes. ARFRO believes that the well-being of these families is a bounden responsibility of one and all. 

May the Late General Deshamanya Denis Perera be remembered by future generations for his vision, knowledge, professionalism, magnanimity, excellence in soldiering and above all for his humility in dealing with other human beings.